An Ever Fixed Mark
by WeasleyWoman05
Summary: Collection of drabbles written for the puckrachel drabble meme.
1. So well as you

Written for a picture prompt at the puckrachel drabble meme on Live Journal.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

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><p>Puck looked around his tiny apartment and huffed out a sigh as he scrubbed his hands across his face. He had figured that it would be hard; he wasn't expecting to be instantly discovered the second he moved to New York, but shit was getting ridiculous. With only open mic nights and a few bar gigs to his name he was starting to get discouraged.<p>

The sound of a key in the lock interrupted his musings and brought a smile to his face. His girl would be able to snap him out of this funk.

Rachel was juggling her bags as she stepped through the door and immediately found herself wrapped up in her boyfriend's arms.

"Noah, as much as I appreciate the greeting, you're crushing the groceries," she said, awkwardly patting him on the back.

"Sorry baby," he murmured from his spot against her neck. He pulled away and plucked the bags from her hands, dropping them to the floor. Rachel then drew him back into her embrace and softly stroked the back of his neck.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

"Nothin'. Just missed you," he replied.

"Noah."

"S' nothin'," he reiterated, grasping her hand and pulling her after him toward their bed/couch. Rachel, having known him for so many years, understood that was his not-so-subtle way of telling her that he needed physical contact (because her emotionally stunted boyfriend could never just come out and say he wanted to cuddle).

She snuggled down next to him, kicked off her shoes, and tangled their feet together. She brought one hand to rest above his heart as the other stroked over the ridiculous haircut he just couldn't seem to get rid of. She pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw and felt him relax against her. He would eventually tell her what was bothering him, but in the meantime she'd just enjoy the moment.


	2. Et tu, Brute?

Prompt:

"I kissed Shelby."

She hears Noah telling her that in her head, over and over and all she can think for a moment is about tracking down his father and kissing him so that Noah might be able to understand how betrayed she feels right now.

"You were one of my best friends." Is what's she's finally able to get out.

"Rachel, I still am."

"No, you really, really, aren't."

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><p>She sees him avoiding her gaze everywhere she goes that day: in the hallway when she waves and smiles to say good morning; in glee when she tries to catch his eye while she's singing. It's starting to make her angry. And when she gets angry she starts planning (that's how Sandy Ryerson got fired). So she kisses Finn goodbye after he walks her to the parking lot and settles in to wait for Noah to exit the school.<p>

She doesn't have to wait long. He comes striding through the doors soon after Finn has left. She sees red when she realizes that he sees her waiting and turns to head to his truck without another glance in her direction.

"Noah!" she yells as she chases after him. "Noah, wait!" He just walks faster.

"Noah Puckerman, if you don't stop right now I'm going to tell Finn that you kissed me!"

Her threat seems to do the trick because he stops and waits for her to catch up with him. She sees his shoulders drop as he lets out a huge sigh and turns to face her.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" she asks when she stops next to him. "I thought we were friends, Noah, and friends don't avoid each other. What's wrong?"

"Nothin," he mumbles, staring at a point above her head.

"It's obviously something, Noah. You haven't spoken to me all day. In fact, you've been avoiding me for several days now that I think about it. So, tell me, what is bothering you? Are you still upset about Lauren breaking up with you? Because if you are…"

"I kissed Shelby," he blurts out suddenly, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"What?" she whispers, shock seeping through her tone. He continues to talk (it's like a dam has broken and the words just come pouring out) but she doesn't hear him. His lips move but all Rachel hears is his voice inside her head repeating his confession over and over again. All she can think about for a moment is tracking down his father and kissing him so that Noah might be able to understand how betrayed she feels right now.

She snaps out of her dazed musings when she realizes Noah has stopped talking and is looking at her expectantly. She opens her mouth several times but can't manage to form any words.

"You were one of my best friends," she finally manages to get out.

"Rachel, I still am,' he replies as he tries to take her hand. She takes a step back to avoid his grip. She doesn't want his comfort right now.

"No, you really, really aren't. I have to go."

"Rach…"

"Don't. Just…don't," she says tiredly. "I'm not…I can't. I have to go. I can't look at you right now."

She spins on her heel and tears through the parking lot toward her car; she's furiously blinking back the tears she can feel threatening to slip down her cheeks. When she reaches her car, she viciously stabs the unlock button and then slams the door behind her before jamming the locks again. She takes a few deep breaths, silently willing herself to calm down. But she loses that battle when she opens her eyes and sees him standing at her passenger door. She quickly turns the key in the ignition and puts the car into motion. Her only thought is to get as far away from him as possible.

The tears only come faster when she glances back and sees him standing where she left him. He looks so defeated that she nearly turns around.

But she doesn't. She can't find it in her to care about his feelings right now.


	3. To thee I so belong

Prompt: "Puck never believed in marriage for Rachel to know she was his and he was hers, but the leers his girl got made his blood boil, so he got his ass down on one knee and proposed. Next guy who stared at Rachel, Puck grabbed her left hand and used her to flip him off, engagement-ring style."

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><p>Puck had come a long way from his high school days at William McKinley. Getting out of Lima was an accomplishment in itself, but he had actually managed to graduate from college too. And all the credit for that feat went to none other than Rachel Berry.<p>

After her inevitable break-up with Finn (seriously, they'd all seen that shitstorm coming a mile away), he'd given her some time to get over it and then he'd swooped in and gotten his girl. And after six years together, he was comfortable with the fact that even though his ma had been hinting that he should "lock it down" by proposing, Rachel was fine with their level of commitment. The belonged to each other and didn't need marriage to express that was her favorite reply whenever his mom started in on the subject. Besides, her fathers weren't married and they'd been together for 28 years.

She was perfectly content to remain as they were, but Puck was beginning to rethink the situation. Reason number one for his change of heart? The dudes that thought it was okay to hit on his girl just because she didn't have a ring on her finger. Of course his girl was smoking hot, but he was getting sick of that shit.

So he had a plan — an awesome plan. It was simple really: hickeys on her neck would scream "Back off — property of another dude." But Rach nixed that idea pretty quickly. "I cannot perform eight shows a week with star-shaped hickeys on my neck, Noah," she'd said when he had told her his solution.

Plan B? Well, that was the reason he was currently down on one knee in Central Park. When Rachel launched herself at him, he figured plan B was a pretty good one.

And the next time they were out and some dude hit on Rachel right in front of him, all Puck had to do was grab her left hand and wave her ring finger in the guy's face.

"Fuck off, man. She's mine."

"Noah!"


	4. Star to every wandering bark

Prompt: "Mr. Rachel Berry"

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><p>She's not sure how he's going to react. Her publicist has been working on it all day, but the tabloid refuses to suppress the article. So as she pushes open the door to their penthouse apartment, she's worried about what he'll say. The sound of children giggling reaches her ears as soon as she closes the door, and she follows it until she finds a sight that melts her heart every time — her husband ensconced in a blanket fort in the living room with their three kids. She always loves to see her daughters with their daddy.<p>

When they see her, the girls fly at her and throw their tiny arms around her legs, knocking her over into her husband's lap. They all laugh together as the girls pile on top of both of them inside the fort. Rachel allows herself to enjoy the chaos for a few moments before she tells the girls to go wash up for dinner. As they tear off to the bathroom, Rachel pulls the article out of her pocket and shows it to Puck.

"Danielle did her best, but the editor wouldn't budge," she says quietly. She bites her lip as she waits for him to finish reading. She can tell when he reaches the part she's worried about because his expression changes. But instead of being mad, she watches as his lips quirk up and he lets out a huge belly laugh. He notices when she smiles in relief.

"Baby, were you worried about this?" he asks as he leans down to give her a kiss.

"A little," she replies after they break apart. "I was worried you might take it as an attack on your manhood."

"Rach, we talked about this when I decided to stop touring and stay home with the girls. And if Mr. Rachel Berry is the best thing they can come up with, then they need to find some new writers. Now come on. We've got three little monsters to feed."

Puck gets to his feet and pulls Rachel up after him. He captures her lips again once she's on her feet and kisses her breathless. She smiles up at him and kisses him again before he slings his arm around her waist and hauls her up over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"Noah!" she shrieks, laughing as she hangs over his shoulder. She hears the girls' answering giggles when they reach the kitchen, and she can't help but think that she loves her life.


End file.
